


A Chance For Us

by bonesgadh



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fix-It of Sorts, One Shot, what I would have liked to see
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-08
Updated: 2019-06-08
Packaged: 2020-04-12 16:14:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19135594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bonesgadh/pseuds/bonesgadh
Summary: We didn't get to see a goodbye scene between Arya and Gendry in the series finale. Here's my take on how the scene went in my mind.Set between the Starks' goodbye and the final montage.





	A Chance For Us

Gendry loved the sea. He had grown up listening to the sound of waves crashing on rocks and seagulls flying above the shores of King’s Landing, sounds that relaxed him more than anything else in the world. He was thankful his new home in Storm’s End shared the same characteristics with his hometown, otherwise he would’ve found it even harder to adjust to his new life.

He was standing in the deck staring at the endless sea in front of him, waiting for his retinue to find him after having escaped from them an hour earlier. He was saying goodbye to King’s Landing in a way, as he knew it’d probably be a while until he could return. At any moment his advisors and bannermen would find him and would put him on a ship back to the Stormlands, back to his new reality. He had been alone for most of his life and had grown used to people not being interested in the things he did or where he went, so he still felt surprised whenever he noticed some servant or advisor following him around the castle grounds. That’s why he had built the habit of sneaking out from them whenever he could, just to have some time alone to himself—like he used to, before Daenerys Targaryen changed his life forever.

He sighed. Never in his wildest dreams he thought he would become a Lord. At first, the prospect of not being a bastard anymore was exciting to him because he thought it meant he would finally belong somewhere. However, his excitement quickly banished after he realized having a title, lands and a castle would never take away the feeling of loneliness that had accompanied him ever since his mother had died, on the contrary: he felt lonelier than ever, especially after what had happened with…

He shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts. There was no point in ruminating over his misfortune, he had to be the best version of himself if he wanted to be a good Lord for the people of the Stormlands. They needed him in a good mental state, and they were his family now. He didn’t want to fail them; he _wouldn’t_ fail them.

He rubbed his hands together in an attempt to lower his anxiety.

 _I can do this_ , he said to himself. _No matter how hard it seems, it’s not impossible_.

He decided to go back to his temporary chambers in what was left of the Red Keep and wait for his party to find him there. He took one final look at the gorgeous view ahead of him and turned around.

He startled. He hadn’t heard her approaching or sensed her presence so seeing her there almost gave him a heart attack.

“Hello, Gendry.”

“Arya. Hi,” he brought himself to say. He never thought they’d meet again and getting to talk to her yet another time after everything that had happened made him feel happy for the first time in weeks.

She looked very pretty with her dark brown hair half up, her big grey eyes sparkling with curiosity and that smirk of hers that could come across as cocky to some, but not to him. The wound on her forehead from when she hit herself during the Battle of Winterfell had been reduced to a small scar, a permanent reminder of that dreadful night. She was wearing her northern clothes and her distinctive one-sided cloak, although Gendry noticed the color was different. It was no longer grey, but black instead.

“We didn’t get to talk at the council meeting. You left very quickly.”

“I wasn’t feeling well; it’s been a rough few weeks.”

The truth was that he had left the way he did because he didn’t want to talk to anyone, including Arya. He didn’t feel like he belonged amongst the other Lords and the memory of his failed proposal embarrassed him, so he didn’t feel ready to talk to her.

Arya looked at him from head to toe. “You look good. Being a Lord suits you.”

“Thanks.” He wasn’t expecting her to compliment him on his appearance.

“Have you gotten used to it yet? A Lord’s life?”

“Not really, _everything_ is different. The clothes, the food, the way people address me. It’s only been a few weeks but I still have trouble answering to them calling me ‘Milord’ or ‘Lord Gendry’.”

She sighed. “I know how you feel. I was raised like that and I never got used to it. It always felt… odd.”

“That’s a good way to describe it. _Odd_.”

Arya chuckled softly. “You going back to Storm’s End?”

“Yeah. No matter how I feel about being a Lord, this is my new reality and I need to adjust as quickly as possible. My people need me.”

“Your people. You speak like a true Lord.”

“I try to. Although I was never interested in this kind of life I have to make an effort.”

There was a brief silence. Arya tilted her head to the side. “I never thought I would see you again after our last conversation.”

Gendry took his time to answer. A part of him never wanted to discuss what had happened ever again, but the other part was in desperate need to know Arya’s thoughts on what he had done and said. He had spent a good portion of his days trying to decipher the last kiss she gave him, doing his best to understand why Arya would kiss him in such a soft and loving way if she was going to reject sharing her life with him.

“Neither did I,” he simply said.

She looked into his eyes. “The things you said caught me completely by surprise.”

“I…It was _never_ my intention to make you feel uncomfortable. What I did has been haunting me ever since.” She didn’t say anything, so Gendry took a deep breath and continued talking. “Listen, Arya. I know I made a mistake. I shouldn’t have asked you to marry me, I should’ve known better. All those times you asked me not to call you a Lady—I was so stupid, please forgive me.”

“You don’t have to apologize for anything—"

“Let me finish,” he said, as he moved closer to her. “I need you to know I’d _never_ ask you to live in my shadow. I know you are independent and free-spirited and brave, and those are the things that make me feel attracted to you, and now I know those are the exact same reasons why you’d never accept to marry me. Now I may have been a bit drunk that night but I meant every word I said. I wasn’t lying when I said I love you.”

He was now standing a few inches away from her.

“I know you weren’t lying, Gendry. What you said to me was beautiful and sweet and I never thought anyone would ever say those words to me,” she let out a small smile. “And I wanted you to know I’m not indifferent to your feelings for me.”

Gendry’s heart skipped a beat. She was looking at him with the same intensity as on the night they had last seen each other. The same way that had made him believe she would accept his marriage proposal. Although still tormented by the outcome, Gendry was very sure of what he had seen in Arya’s eyes and what he had felt on her lips when she last kissed him: she loved him too, which made it harder for him to understand why she had rejected him.

“You are not?” He asked with a bit of a shaky voice.

Arya shook her head, slowly. “The thing is I’m not ready to take that step with you yet.”

“Oh. Right,” he said, trying to disguise his sadness.

“But I’d like to, eventually,” she said in a reassuring tone. “I’m trying to heal myself after everything that has happened to me. I’m working towards being the person I was before my life was wrecked, and I’m about to take the first step.”

“And what is that first step? If you want to tell me, of course.”

Her smile widened. “I’m going to go on a journey.”

“A journey? Where?”

“West of Westeros.”

He frowned. “West of Westeros? Isn’t that dangerous?”

“Perhaps,” she shrugged, although her smile didn’t fade. “But don’t worry, I have every intention to return. It’s just making this journey is something I’ve wanted to do for a while, and I never thought I’d get the chance. For years I’ve been living in fear, not sure if I was going to make it through the day. Hate was the only thing that kept me going. But now? The war is over, we _finally_ have peace. Life is full of possibilities. And I want to _live_.”

There was something in the way she had said that last phrase that sent shivers down Gendry’s spine. This was a different Arya than the one he had reconnected with only a few weeks before in Winterfell. She sounded happier, _freer_.

“I’m glad to hear that. You deserve it after how crazy these past days have been.”

“And these past _years_.”

“Well, I don’t know a lot about those. You never told me what happened to you in the time we were apart.”

Arya smirked. She gently took his hands in hers and caressed them with her thumbs. “Someday I will.”

Again, a moment of silence.

“Arya?”

“Hmm?”

“I’m almost scared to ask you this but do you think there’s a chance for us after you come back?” He asked as he held his breath. “And for what it’s worth I don’t want you to feel like this is me pressuring you or anything, it’s just I’d like to know.”

Arya didn’t answer right away. Instead she looked down at her feet and chuckled, something similar to what she had done after he called her ‘milady’ when they reunited at Winterfell’s forge.

“I’d say there is, yeah,” she finally said as she looked back into his eyes.

“You really mean that?”

“I do.”

Gendry’s face lit up. He kissed both her hands, gently. He tried his best to hide his enthusiasm but failed miserably.

“I’ll wait for you until you feel ready to return. I promise.”

Arya frowned. “Don’t say that. The last thing I want is for you to stop yourself from living and enjoying things only because you are waiting for me.”

He shook his head. “I expressed myself wrong, you know I’ve never been very good with words. Let me rephrase it: what I meant to say is that we can use this time apart. I _did_ mean to say I’ll wait for you, but I won’t spend my days feeling miserable because you are not here. I’ll keep myself busy learning how to be a Lord, there’s still so much I don’t know and I want to be the best version of myself to _really_ make an impact on the people of the Stormlands. Meanwhile you get to travel the world and have adventures, pleasant adventures. Eventually, when we are both mature enough and ready to be together things shall be easier. I truly believe that.”

Arya’s face softened and she exhaled with relief. “That’s better. I also think we need time to ourselves to gain some perspective, but I’m confident everything will turn out fine for us in the end.”

“I feel that way, too.” A beat. Behind Gendry the sea kept crashing gently on the wooden deck, which caused small drops to cover his leather clothing. “It’s funny, I spent so many years wanting to see you again and now it pains me to know you are leaving. I’m going to miss you.”

“Me too, but think about it: we were apart for years and we never thought we’d meet again. All the odds were against us reuniting and now look at how far we’ve come. We are _survivors_ , we defy the odds.”

“We do. And we’ll continue to,” he squeezed her hands. “Well then, you better get going; the world is waiting for you,” he placed a gentle kiss on her hands. “I wish you the best in your journey, I hope it helps you find the peace you are looking for. I truly do.”

“It will,” she said, always sure of herself.

“Remember you’ll always have a home in Storm’s End. It will be waiting for you.”

She let go of his hands.

“Goodbye, milord.”

“Goodbye, Arya.”

She smiled at him one last time. She then turned around and walked away, and Gendry followed her with his gaze until he lost sight of her.


End file.
